The guirre, the only vulture that soars through the skies of Lanzarote, is recovering slowly after brushing against extinction

It is difficult not to be impressed when a guirre (Neophron percnopterus majorensis) makes its way through the sky. Its black and white plumage shines especially in the Lanzarote sun and when it flaps its wings, it can measure, from end to end, more than a meter and a half.

The guirre is the only scavenger raptor in the Canary Islands and a subspecies of the common Egyptian vulture. Its name in the islands, guirre, is one of the Guanche words (words used by the aborigines), which still endure in the vocabulary of the Canarians.

The image of the vulture was used in Ancient Egypt as a symbol of the Pharaoh, the absolute ruler between gods and humans. However, unlike the rest of the Egyptian vultures, the Canarian guirre is an endemic species, a subspecies that separated from other Egyptian vultures thousands of years ago and has created its own group in the islands.

At the end of the last century, it was on the verge of disappearing; in fact, it is still critically endangered in the Canary Islands and, therefore, in the rest of the world. Although its recovery is slow, hundreds of specimens are already flapping their wings again in the archipelago and give a halo of hope to the survival of the species.

The main differences between the Canarian guirre and the continental subspecies are genetic and morphological. The Canarian subspecies is "a little larger and heavier" than the continental one, explains Aitor Gil, one of the technicians from the field team of the public company Gesplan on the island, which is responsible for monitoring endangered avifauna in the Canary Islands. Gil works with technicians Walo Moreno and Pablo Gustems in the continuous monitoring of the species in Lanzarote.

Their work consists of directly monitoring nesting pairs, controlling reproduction, and inspecting the territory to find new pairs, as well as detecting disturbances and threats. In addition to collecting field data and banding specimens.

From almost disappearing to more than 500 specimens flapping their wings

Miguel Ángel Cabrera, a technician from the Biodiversity Service of the Directorate General for the Fight against Climate Change and the Environment of the Government of the Canary Islands, has been monitoring the species in the islands since 1998, almost thirty years. Those campaigns began with the support of the Doñana Biological Station.

When the first follow-up studies began, in Lanzarote there were only two or three breeding territories of the species, while in Fuerteventura the number barely exceeded twenty. However, currently, the majorera island is home to 102 nests, while twelve have been registered between Lanzarote and the Chinijo Archipelago.

In total, in the 2025 campaign, a total of 519 specimens were detected in the Canary Islands, 283 individuals who are not yet of reproductive age. Meanwhile, the Biodiversity technician explains that the species from Lanzarote and Fuerteventura must be counted as a single population, since at the end of the breeding season, the specimens that are in Lanzarote gather on the neighboring island.

"The growth in Fuerteventura has been very large and in Lanzarote it is going a little slower," explains Cabrera during an interview with La Voz. Breeding territories are the areas where a pair or a trio of Egyptian vultures usually nests and incubates. "They usually reuse the area where they habitually breed, but it is not always the same nest," the biologist points out.

The environmental technician explains that the hypothesis they are considering is that the recovery of the species is better in Fuerteventura because the island is larger and also has more food resources available. "There is still a lot of free livestock, the Egyptian vulture is ultimately a vulture that feeds on dead animals and that matters a lot," he continues.

Cabrera explains that the sanitary restrictions to prevent environmental contamination from the abandonment of livestock animals in the fields affected the population of Egyptian vultures in the Canary Islands, but also other vulture species in the peninsula. To alleviate this reality, three muladares have been distributed in Lanzarote, complementary feeding points, which are used especially during the breeding seasons.

This species feeds on all dead animals it finds, from rabbits to hedgehogs, but it can also feed on other birds that die. Cabrera explains that they are "extremely effective in locating carcasses." "It is a strictly necrophagous species; as long as it is dead matter, they are capable of utilizing practically anything that appears dead in the natural environment."

From the first copulations to a delicate incubation

In February, the first pairs begin to form and the first copulations commence. Between March and April, the females lay two eggs and the incubation period begins. This incubation period in Egyptian vultures is 42 days, explains Aitor Gil, who adds that although the clutch is usually up to two eggs, normally only one hatches.

"Between February and July is when we are always emphasizing that people adopt measures to avoid disturbing and causing disruptions in the nesting area," states Cabrera.

In this regard, Cabrera explains that the Egyptian vulture is a species very sensitive to disturbances. For example, a pair of hikers passing near the nest can cause the species to move away from the nest, leave the chick unattended, or stop incubating it, but the transit of motor vehicles such as buggies can also affect it.

The Egyptian vulture returns to breed in Timanfaya after decades

Cabrera indicates that the species' growth has not stopped since the last century, being faster on the neighboring island of Fuerteventura. However, it was not until the pandemic that an unusual event occurred: the Egyptian vulture returned to nest in Timanfaya National Park in 2021 after decades without reproducing.

However, although the news is optimistic for this protected natural space, Timanfaya is not the only place in Lanzarote that the Egyptian vulture has chosen to protect its chicks. In fact, Cabrera narrates that this year alone, two new breeding territories have been registered in Lanzarote.

With hope placed on its survival, the Egyptian vulture is a reflection that working to protect the endemic fauna of the Canary Islands can mean saving the existence of a species, even if it's little by little.